A poor movie but a good MacLean novel - it doesn't feel like a fleshed out screenplay but an actual book with strong descriptions of boats and first person narration. It's a murder on a boat tale, but the boat is in the Arctic Ocean which gives it physical stakes.
Bodies turn up at decent intervals, there's a dogged doctor hero, the suspects are on a film crew which gives the piece some glamour (leading to jaudiced observations from the MacLean surrogate as to movie making). Why didn't they keep this element in the film? It would have been fun.
When the action gets to the Bear Island there's more dead bodies - disappointingly little physical stuff. I was looking forward to some old school freezing to death and clambering over mountains but it doesn't happen. Maybe MacLean was too rich by this stage? He also sets up some lively characters - a Polish count, a Russian triple agent turned film producer - who I wish we could have seen more of.
The mystery is decent enough. It's not top flight MacLean but it's strong.
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